CONCERN MOUNTS AS NEWVIGILANTE CORPS IN KATSINA, ZAMFARA REINFORCE BANDITRY
senator, Kabiru Mafara, had cried out saying the Zamfara Community Guards Corps arrested, detained and tortured his political allied, one Magaji Lawali to death.
Also last week, a prominent cleric and chief Imam of Mada town, Imam Abubakar Hassan Mada was allegedly summarily killed by the security guards.
In Katsina, a former local government chairman, was killed in similar fashion by members of the Katsina Community Watch Corps.
"Government at the centre must be courageous to stand up against this. Otherwise it is going to cost us a lot. It will be an endless vicious circle," Rufa'i said.
UNICEF: Nigerian Children Deserve to Learn in Peace, Rues Abduction Of 287 Kaduna Students
Meanwhile, UNICEF’s Country Representative in Nigeria, Munduate, in a statement, rued the attack, saying Nigerian children deserved to learn in a peaceful environment.
Munduate said schools were supposed to be sanctuaries of learning and growth, not places of fear and violence.
The statement read: “I am deeply saddened and concerned by the reports of yet another abduction of students in Kaduna State. The alarming frequency of such incidents across the country signals a crisis that requires immediate and determined action from all levels of government and society. Schools are supposed to be sanctuaries of learning and growth, not sites of fear and violence.
“This latest abduction, as any previously, is highly condemnable and part of a worrying trend of attacks on educational institutions in Nigeria, particularly in the North-west, where armed groups have intensified their campaign of violence and kidnappings. Just a day prior to this incident, the UN Resident Coordinator spoke about the abductions of large numbers of women, girls and boys by members of a non-state armed group in Borno state.
“UNICEF urges immediate action to ensure the safe return of the abducted children and staff and calls on authorities to implement comprehensive measures to secure schools across Nigeria.
“It is imperative that the safety and security of students and educators are guaranteed, allowing schools to fulfill their role as safe havens for learning and development.”
It added: “Our hearts go out to the families of the abducted students and staff, and we stand with them in this harrowing time. The right to education is fundamental and must be protected against any form of violence or intimidation. The children of Nigeria deserve to learn in peace.
“UNICEF is coordinating with local officials and providing assistance to the affected parents and families through psychological support services.
“Every child deserves to grow up in an environment of peace, away from the looming shadows of threats and insecurity. Unfortunately, we are currently facing a significant deterioration in community safety, with children disproportionately suffering the consequences of this decline in security.”
UN Special Envoy, Gordon Brown, Promises Global Support for Safe School Initiative in Nigeria
According to Brown, the international community must urgently do all it could to support the release of the students, adding that the Nigerian government should have immediate surveillance support from international partners to locate the kidnapped pupils.,
“As UN envoy for global education, I am in contact with governments asking them to offer help to find the girls whereabouts with a view to their early release. But no child should be in fear of going to school, and no parent, worried as their children leave for school that they may never see them again, should need to consider keeping their daughter or son at home because the risk of kidnapping and violence is too high.
“And because these abductions continue to recur because of terrorism,
I want to set out what can be done to make sure schools are safer places to attend and our proposals are modelled on safe schooling initiatives throughout the world I have been involved in, not least in Nigeria at the time of the Chibok Kidnapping.
“Then, I visited Nigeria on many occasions to advise successive presidents, and our global Safe Schools Initiative was launched at the World Economic Forum in May 2014.
“Now I believe that at every level - federal, state, and local - Safe Schools measures must be reintroduced, reinvigorated and supercharged from today, with technical support and funding available internationally and nationally to ensure schools have significant security and safety upgrades.
“For parents who are now wondering whether their daughter or son will be the victim of violence or kidnapping, and whether when they leave for school that day, whether they will see their children again, we must provide reassurance. We must end the unfair choice parents face: send a child to school, at risk of being abducted, or keep a child out of school, at risk of them forgoing a better future.”
Furthermore, he stressed the need for the four broader initiatives needed to be considered as a matter of urgency, that add up to a comprehensive blueprint for safe schools.
“First, we need enhanced intelligence and security information-sharing through the engagement of the Governors and intergovernmental forums. Second, we need detailed state-by-state school safety plans which are made public, with detailed actions both to build walls and fencing and to introduce state- of- the art telecommunications connections and security alarms that can be easily actioned.
“Third, we need to invest in community outreach and engagement programs, working with traditional and religious leaders to explain why if schools are protected and safer children should continue to attend. And fourth, we need to empower local people - school-based management committees - to make their own decisions to prioritize pupil and teacher safety to best meet local circumstances and needs.
“My offer is to do everything I can to mobilise international financial and other support and worldwide expertise to help deliver the safe school programmes
“And my message to children is: if you come to school, we will make it more secure. And my promise Nigeria is this: You have suffered too much from the interruption of schooling because of terrorism and threats; it is now for us, the whole international community, to show solidarity and support your efforts to build back better, to make schools safe and secure, making a reality of the promise of high-quality education for every child
“The international community must urgently do all it can to support the girls release The Nigerian government should have immediate surveillance support from international partners to locate the kidnapped girls, and as UN envoy for global education , I am in contact with governments asking them to offer help to find the girls whereabouts with a view to their early release.”
Tinubu to Security Agencies: Ensure Immediate Rescue of Kidnapped Victims in Kaduna, Borno
Also, President Tinubu in a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Ajuri Ngelale, directed security and intelligence agencies to immediately rescue the victims and ensure that justice is served against the perpetrators of these abominable acts.
According to Tinubu: "I have received briefing from security chiefs on the two incidents, and I am confident that the victims will be rescued. Nothing else is acceptable to me and the waiting family members of these abducted citizens. Justice will be decisively administered."
The President sympathised with the families of the victims, assuring them that they would soon be reunited with their loved ones.
In the same vein, addressing the media, yesterday, Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, stressed that security agencies must do everything within their powers not only to rescue the victims but also ensure they were brought back unhurt.